1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a diaphragm system for generating a plurality of particle probes having variable cross section, the system including first and second diaphragms.
2. Description of the Related Art
A diaphragm system including aperture plates is disclosed in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Volume ED-26, No. 4, April 1979, pages 663 through 674, and in particular in FIGS. 3 and 4.
A diaphragm having a line-shaped multi-aperture structure and an electrode system for individual blanking of the particle probe which is generated with the assistance of the diaphragm is disclosed in German published application 35 04 705.
Only structures whose dimensions correspond to a multiple of the dimensions of the individual probes can be produced in modern lithograph equipment using aperture diaphragms for generating a plurality of individual probes (comb probes). The cross section of the individual probes should be adjustable in size and shape in order to generate arbitrary structures during lithography.